Rasmus Hojlund heads out for night in Manchester with girlfriend as he faces playing time limit by secret back issue picked up in his medical.
Hojlund’s move to Old Trafford was rubber stamped last week after lengthy negotiations with his former Italian club Atalanta. It has been revealed that the Danish striker is nursing a back injury that will limit his playing time at the start of the season.
An MRI scan conducted as part of his medical revealed a stress response hotspot in his back, which can be the start of stress fractures in young players, and he has already been ruled out of United’s first two games against Wolves and Tottenham.
But the 20-year-old looked to put the disappointing news behind him as he explored the city of Manchester and its nightlife with his partner Laura Sondergaard.
Hojlund took a walk into the city centre from the Lowry Hotel wearing a white jacket, blue jeans and white trainers.
Sondergaard wore a leather jacket on top of a white jumper and jeans – as she smiled at Hojlund while walking alongside him.
The Denmark international then waved as he noticed the photographer before continuing to enjoy his night out.
Hojlund’s partner Sondergaard is known to be a regular at the player’s matches and is often seen cheering him on in stadiums – with the pair seen sharing a kiss after he netted a hat-trick for Denmark against Finland in March.
Sondergaard has nearly 9,000 followers on Instagram and regularly posts about her stunning holidays.
Hojlund will be hopeful that his back issue does not cause him to miss too many games for United as he looks to make his mark at Old Trafford.
United are adamant that following intensive investigations during Hojlund’s medical there is no fundamental issue with his back and that all he requires is a period of rest.
The club’s initial response to last week’s MRI has been to give Hojlund more time to improve his fitness and to reassure the player that he is a long-term signing and will not be rushed into the team.
Medical sources outside the club however, claim that such injuries require careful management and have suggested it is unlikely that Hojlund will be able to play two matches-a-week for some time for fear of developing into a stress fracture, which would lead to a lengthy lay-off.
After coming through the Academy at FC Copenhagen he made his first-team debut at 17 before being sold to Austrian club Sturm Graz in January 2022 and then on to Atalanta the following August for £15m.
United paid almost five times that amount just 12 months later amidst competition from Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Inter Milan, opting to go ahead with the signing despite identifying the back problem during his medical.
Ten Hag is hoping to build a new-look attack around Hojlund’s goal-scoring talent with United giving him a five-year contract, which includes the option to extend by a further 12 months.